Trolley finder and guard.



. No. 659,355. Patented net. 9, 1900..

H. c. WILLIAMS.

I TROLLE Y FINDER AND GUARD.

(Application filed Apr. 26, 1900.)

(No lludel.)

I NtTED "STATES P TE T OFFICE.

HARRY O. WILLIAMS, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA,

TROLl-EY FINDER AND GUARD! SPECIFIGA'IIQNforming part of Letters PatentNo. 659,355, dated, October 9, 1900.

Application filed April 26, 1900. serial No. 14,486. (No model.)

adapted for application to trolley-poles of that type in which the trolley-Wheel is normally held pressed against the feed-wire by the ac tion of one or more springs applied to the trolley-base and exerting a constant upward pressure on the pole.

One object of the invention is to provide a, device of this character which will enable the trolley-wheel'to be readily and conveniently centered and brought into engagement with the wire and which, when the trolley-wheel is in working position, will normally lie between the plane of the wire, but is adapted to catch the wire and automatically bring the trolley-wheel back into engagement therewith in the event of casual disengagement of said wheel.

A further object of the invention is to mount the trolley-wheel on the finder and provide a construction and arrangement of parts whereby'the pressure of the wheel normally holds the finder in a horizontal position below the wire and under spring tension, so that it is adapted to instantaneously move to a vertical position and catch the wire to guide the wheel back into operative position in case the wheel should leave the wire; also, to provide a finder combining simplicity of construction with strength, durability, and efficiency.

With these and other minor objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a trolley finder and guard embodying my invention, the satne being represented in working'position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device, showing in broken lines the position of the parts when the trolley-wheel is in engagement with the wire and in full lines the position of the parts when the wheel is disengaged from the wire.

Fig. 8 is a detail view from the rear, showing the relation of the parts when alined.

A in the drawings represents a trolley-pole of that type tnounted upon a base secured to the roof of the car and having one or more of securing the same to the car forms no part of my invention.

The trolley-wheel B isjournaled in the usual manner between the arms 2 of a fork K, se-

cured to the upper end of the pivotal extension 3 of the pole, and is mounted upon a shaft D, supported in the upper ends of said arms 2, the part 3 and fork K constituting a swinging frame. The swinging frame is hinged at 4 and moves between a pair of braces or standards F, rigidly secured at their lower extremities to thepole and extending upwardly therefrom and constituting a continuation thereof. 'A'slight space is formed between the abutting ends of the parts A and 3 when the upper end of the frame has swung forward to the limit of its movement to allow for the pivotal movement of the frame essential to throw the finder and guard frotn an upright to a horizontal position, as shown by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 2.- A spring H holds the upper end of the swinging frame forward and the finder and guard upward and is attached at its lower end to the pole A; but when the trolley-wheel is brought into engagement with the wire 0 the swinging frame is forced rearward at its upper end against the tension of said spring and throws the finder rearward and downward, as shown.

Arranged upon opposite sides of the trolleywheel are finder and guard arms J, which are intermediately pivoted tothe extremities of the shaft D and have a loose connection at their lower ends with the upper ends of the braces or standards F. The connection is effected by means of bolts or like parts k, which play loosely in slots Z, formed in the lower lating the pole in the usual way.

ends of the arms J and engage with the braces or standards F, the connection being such as to allow the arms to freely move from a substantially-vertioal to a substantiallyhorizontal position. The outer and upper free ends J of these arms flare or diverge outwardly from each other, so as to enable the trolley to be readily guided to the wire in a manner readily understood.

In practice when the trolley-wheel is off the wire the swinging frame is thrown forward and the finder-arms upward by means of the spring H, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, with the flared endsof said arms in position to enable the conductor of the car or an attendant to quickly bring the wheel into engagement with the wire by manipu- When, however, the wheel is brought into engagement with the wire and the pole released, the resistance opposed by the wire causes the swinging frame to move rearward and throw the finder downward and rearward. This is due to the tinder-arms J being pivoted to the shaft D on which the wheel is mounted. \Vhen the finder-arms are thus horizontally arranged, they are out of the way of crosswires and the like and maintain this position so long as the trolley-wheel remains in contact with the wire; but as soon as the wheel jumps the wire the swinging frame and finder are forced upward by the spring II and the finder-arms extend upward upon opposite sides of the wire and retain the pole in plhce and at the same time quickly center the wheel and bring it back on the wire. If, however, the finder-arms should fail to bring the trolley back into engagement with the wire, this may be easily effected by a slight pull upon the trolley-rope.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In a trolley-finder, a swinging frame carried by the trolley-pole and carrying the trolley-wheel and adapted to be forced downwardly and rearwardly by the resistance of the wire when the wheel is placed thereon, a spring for returning the said flame to an upright position when the resistance is removed, and a pivoted finder movable with the swinging frame and adapted to lie below the wire when said frame is depressed and to assume an upright. position when the swinging frame is actuated by said spring, substantially as described.

2. In a trolley-finder, a swinging frame, a trolley-wheel carried by the frame, a spring to resist the downward and rearward movement of said frame and return it to its normal position, and finder-arms intermediately pi voted and carried by the frame and having their innerends connected to work in guides, substantially as described.

3. In a trolley-finder, a trolley-pole, standards upon the pole, a swinging frame pivoted to and mounted to swing between said standards', a spring bearing upon the frame to retist-its downward and rearward movement, a trolley-wheel carried by the swinging frame, and finder-arms intermediately pivoted to the frame and having their inner or lower ends loosely connected with the upper ends of the standards, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY (J. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

JOHN MCDONALD, A. E. R001). 

